Nauru

Introduction

Phosphate mining propelled Nauru, the world's smallest independent republic, into seemingly boundless wealth for decades. But phosphate's running out and the Nauru leadership is making little effort to strike up other industries (other than refugee housing for the Australian government). Nauru is an extraordinarily grey island, whose natural beauty has been pretty much destroyed by the ecological nightmare of phosphate mining. Not surprisingly, tourism hasn't exactly taken off.

However, travellers around the Pacific may find themselves delayed in Nauru for a few days, due to Air Nauru's clever monopoly of the area. If golf isn't your thing, we recommend heading away from shore and trying out some of the island's better diving spots, where WWII wreckages make for a captivating dive.

Brief History

Before the Europeans arrived to Nauru, the island was inhabited by colonists from other parts of Oceania. The first European to set foot on Nauru was the English Whaler, John Fearn, but Nauru kept its independence until 1888, when it was annexed by Germany. in 1918 it became a member of the League of Nations, governed by Australia. In 1947 it made a deal with the United Nations that it would become independent in 1968. It became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, and in 1999 it joined the United Nations. As mentioned in the introduction the winning of phoshpates made Nauru a wealthy country, but it also had a huge impact on nature. Two third of the island has a lunar surface like look. Alternatives for the ending supplies of phosphates have not been succesful. Tourism which is an option for many others islands is not (yet) a big contributor to the economy of the island.

Geography

Regions/Districts

• Aiwo
• Anabar
• Anetan
• Anibare
• Baiti
• Boe
• Buada
• Denigomodu
• Ewa
• Ijuw
• Meneng
• Nibok
• Uaboe
• Yaren

Cities/Towns

• Yaren is the capital of Nauru
• Denigomodu
• Aiwo
• Meneng

Sights and Activities

Anibare bay

Nauru is not the number one beach destination in the Pacific, to say the least. And the waters are pretty rough for diving and snorkelling as well. Going out for fishing sometimes is possible. Still, Anibare Bay is the best beach on Nauru. It is the ideal place to enjoy the sun, swim in the relative tranquil waters or just be lazy. Fishing is another option which is especially good off the coast of the island because of unusual deep waters compared to other Pacific islands.

Command Ridge

Command Ridge is the highest point of Nauru. This is the place where the Japanese kept watch in the 1940s and nowadays you can still find some rusted WWII guns, including two large rotating six-barrel weapons that once fired 40 kilograms of shells. Further, you will find a communications bunker which you can enter if you have a flashlight or lantern. If you look closely you will even see some Japanese writing.

Former President's House

The view from the ruins of the once-splendid former Presidents' House is just fantastic. Unfortunately, the house itself was burned down in 2001 by a local mob who were not happy with the mismanagement of fund by the government. urious at the government's mismanagement of funds.

Yaren

Being a very small capital, there is not much to do in town itself. Still, just off the coast of Yaren there is some excellent deepsea-diving (one of a few places possible on Nauru) where you can find canons and bunkers dating back to WWII.

• Cantilevers

Events and Festivals

Weather

Nauru has a tropical climate with humid and warm conditions year-round. The average maximum temperatures are around 30 °C to 32 °C degrees Celcius, while temperatures during the night are still a balmy 24 °C or 25 °C degrees during most night. The wet season lasts from November to February, but duing the last years the wet season has varied a lot and sometimes there was even a draught period. Generally, from April to October things are drier and sunnier and the easterly trade winds cool things off a bit.

Getting there

Plane

The international airport is in Yaren and the national airline is called Our Airline, also known as Air Nauru. Currently, there is only one aircraft serving the route from Brisbane to Nauru via Honiara (Solomon Islands) and from Nauru on to Tarawa (Kiribati) and Majuro (Marshall Islands) twice weekly.

By Boat

There is absolutely no way of getting here by boat, there are even no yacht facilities so if you make it here, you will only see the island from a distance!

Getting Around

By Car

There is an 18-kilometre-long sealed road circumnavigating the island. As there is no public transport on Nauru, you will need to negotiate car or bike hire with a local or perhaps pay a local to take you where you need to go. If you want to head inland, there are a few roads that lead towards the Buda District, the lagoon and the mining areas.

Red Tape

Visas before arrival are recommended and a valid passport is also required.

Money

See also Money Matters

Nauru uses the Australian Dollar (AUD). Australian Dollar notes come in $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 and coins come in 5¢, 10¢, 20¢, 50¢, $1 and $2.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

There are no vaccinations legally required to travel to Nauru. There is one exception though. You need a yellow fever vaccination if you have travelled to a country (7 days or less before entering Nauru) where that disease is widely prevalent.

It's a good thing to get your vaccinations in order before travelling to Nauru. The general vaccination against Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP) is recommended. Also a hepatitis A vaccination is recommended and when travelling longer than 2 weeks also typhoid. Vaccination against hepatitis B is also sometimes recommended for stays longer than 3 months.

Finally, other possible health issues include diarrhea and other general travellers' diseases like motion sickness. Watch what you eat and drink and in case you get it, drink plenty of fluids (to prevent dehydration) and bring ORS.

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post